They Came Home
by The Rockerbabe
Summary: Those who were on the Astreus Mission have been missing for over a year without a trace. After the painful decision to declare them dead, those left behind pick up the pieces and begin to move on...Full Summary Inside
1. To The Victors

Title: They Came Home [Chapter 1/?]

Chapter Title: To the Victors

Fandom: Eureka

Pairing: Jack/Jo

Rating: R (For Violence and Adult Situations)

Timeline: [6 Months Later] Post Season 4 (Spoilers up through "...One Giant Leap"), AU Season 5

Author's Note: This was inspired by the promo for next season and by my own prompt from the Jack and Jo Comment Fic Meme. This is unbeta-ed, please forgive any mistakes. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Eureka does not belong to me in any way…if I did, it sure as hell wouldn't be ending!

Story Summary: Those who were on the Astreus Mission have been missing for over a year without a trace. After the painful decision is made to declare them dead, those left behind pick up the pieces and begin to move on. Jack and Jo fall in love, get married, and are happily expecting their first child...Then the Astreus shuttle finds its way back to Earth...

Chapter Summary: The war was over and to the victors goes the spoils.

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><p>They stood in the middle of Main Street, guns raised; both wore determination across their face like it was war paint. It was the last stand and the winner would take Eureka.<p>

Jack Carter steadied his gun and aimed for her head; ready to take the kill shot like he was taught to. His finger came down from along the slide and curled around the trigger. "It's over, Beverly." His voice came out firm between gritted teeth, "Drop your weapon or I will end you."

Beverly Barlow let a smug smile tug up the corner of her red lips. "Oh Sheriff, I know you don't have the stones to do it."

"Try me." He growled, "You've destroyed my home, killed people that I've loved," Images of Alison and his friends that were on the lost Astreus shuttle, of Jo who had returned to help fight for her home and been captured, played through his mind, " I won't let you win this. I would kill you a thousand times if it meant saving Eureka. Now. Drop. Your. Weapon."

She tilted her head slightly as she considered his words, taking in his stance, the anger in his eyes. Yes, he would kill her; she could see it in his eyes. And he'd probably sleep like a baby after. There was a side to him that he had kept well hidden from all the citizens of the small town, hidden behind his charming smile and his Opie routine, and she found herself impressed. He had managed to fool them all, to fool _her_; Jack Carter was a dangerous man when provoked; shame he had been on the opposing side, he would have been a valuable asset to her team_. _

Beverly lowered her gun and he closed the space between them and cuffed her swiftly. Jack caught a movement past Beverly's shoulder and couldn't fight the grin that crossed his lips. A bloody, bruised, slightly mangled looking Jo Lupo marched up Main Street towards them, the entire United States Special Forces and the United States Army flanked behind her. His heart leapt at the sight of her; he hadn't lost her.

After handing Beverly off to the MPs, Jack and Jo remained in the street until everyone was gone and everything was quiet; the town was theirs again. He fought the urge to take her into his arms and hold her close as dusk settled in on the horizon. He took her in; the bruises that marred her beautiful face, her swollen lip, and the cut across her forehead. He was certain that those were the least of her injuries. She was looking back at him when his eyes met with hers and he gave in to his urges and took her in to his arms and buried his face into her hair.

He expected her to shove him off, to rebuff his embrace, but she didn't. Instead she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head against his chest. They hadn't been able to talk about her walkabout and what she discovered about herself when she had been gone; she had come in like the avenging warrior she was, her mind focused on fighting for her home and everyone there. He would ask her about it later, after they got everyone settled back home.

Later that night, Café Diem was filled to capacity as the evacuated townspeople returned home. Liquor, desserts, music were all flowing in celebration until the wee hours of the morning. Jack and Jo celebrated amongst them until Vincent kindly, and ever so politely, suggested they take their party back to S.A.R.A.H, seeing as it would be kid free since Kevin and Jenna would be with Alison's mom until the end of the week.

They piled into Carter's jeep and he set the course to autopilot, letting the car drive itself back home and for the first time, Jack was thankful for the technology.

S.A.R.A.H welcomed them with an open door while videos of fireworks played on the walls of the living room. They "Oh" –ed and "Ah"—ed in appreciation and sunk down on the couch, watching the display. Jo scooted close and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I missed you, Jo." Jack murmured

"I missed you too, Carter." She replied, lifting her head and looking into his blue eyes.

Jack without a second thought, leaned down and brushed a kiss against the uninjured side of her mouth. He pulled back slowly and searched her face, finding her dark eyes glittering with something that surprised him—desire danced behind her dark orbs and he found himself wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and pulling her to him and kissing her thoroughly, careful of the cuts on her mouth.

In the back of his mind, he knew that he shouldn't be doing this. But the alcohol in his system overrode that warning, all he knew is that he had to hold her close, had to touch her, had to taste her; had to feel her underneath him. Jack drew her up and they made their way up the stairs and into his bedroom where they lost themselves in the feel of each other until the sun came up and they fell asleep in each other's arms.

When they awoke the next morning, they didn't talk. The obvious remained unsaid; they had crossed a point in their relationship that they couldn't come back from. And there was still the fact that their lovers were still missing. Then there was what needed to be said but wasn't as Jack curled against her back and trailed his finger tips up and down her arm. Jo turned in his arms and rested her forehead against the strong muscles of his chest. _I'm not ready for this to be over_ lingered in the air between them as they clung to one another as the morning drifted away.


	2. In Memoriam

Title: They Came Home [Chapter 2/?]

Chapter Title: In Memoriam

Fandom: Eureka

Pairing: Jack/Jo, Zoe/Lucas, S.A.R.A.H/Andy

Rating: PG

Timeline: Post Season 4 (A Year Later), AU Season 5 (Spoilers up through "…One Giant Leap"), Post "To The Victors" (6 Months Later)

Author's Note: This was inspired by the promo for next season and by my own prompt from the Jack and Jo Comment Fic Meme. This is unbeta-ed, please forgive any mistakes. Enjoy! Also, I'm guessing Jenna's age. I'm going to say she was a year old when the Astreus Crew was lost, so I'm going to go with her being two in my fic. Also, any of the Spanish terms I used, I searched for on the internet and therefore cannot be certain of their accuracy and am sorry if they're wrong.

Disclaimer: Eureka does not belong to me in any way…if I did, it sure as hell wouldn't be ending!

Story Summary: Those who were on the Astreus Mission have been missing for over a year without a trace. After the painful decision is made to declare them dead, those left behind pick up the pieces and begin to move on. Jack and Jo fall in love, get married, and are happily expecting their first child...Then the Astreus shuttle finds its way back to Earth...

Chapter Summary: The town gathers to say good bye to those they lost

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><p>"Gotcha!" Jo swooped down and caught the fleeing toddler in her arms and smiled as Jenna burst into a fit of giggles as she swung her around in a half loop before pulling her up and settling her on her hip.<p>

Jenna reached up and tugged a handful of Jo's hair where it hung loose around her shoulders. "Hey now, _Chiquita_, what did I tell you about hair pulling?"

The toddler gave her an unimpressed look and Jo was taken aback how much the expression reminded her of Nathan. When the toddler was in a mischievous mood, she took after her father; a trait that was both impressive and heartbreaking.

"It's time to get dressed, _Pequeña_," Jo murmured as she made her way up the stairs and to Zoe's old bedroom which had been converted into Jenna's nursery after Jack had become Jenna and Kevin's legal guardian in Allison's absence.

Jo fought the urge to roll her eyes at herself for using the word absence; it made it seem like Allison was just out of town instead of missing for a year, along with the rest of the Astreus Crew, God only knew where. She set Jenna back in her crib and the little girl stood and held on to the railing, watching as Jo moved around the room gathering a black dress with puff sleeves and a bow at the waist, tights, and patent leather shoes.

As she dressed Jenna, Jack moved into the doorway and leaned against the frame, his presence was calm and quiet. She cast a quick glance in his direction and saw that he was ready to go, dressed in a black suit. His expression was somber as he watched her finish dressing the squirming toddler. Now that Jenna was ready, Jo picked her back up and settled her against her hip once more. She crossed the room to Jack, who gave her a small smile that didn't quite reach his blue eyes.

Jo placed a quick kiss on his cheek and touched his face with her free hand. He exhaled heavily and brought his forehead against hers, letting it rest there briefly. When he pulled back, she handed Jenna over to him.

"I'll be ready in a minute." She told him and he nodded.

Jo moved down the hall to his—_their- _room and went to the closet. "Can you bring up my dresses, S.A.R.A.H?" She asked the smart house.

"Gladly, Jo," She replied, without any of her usual enthusiasm and the clothes on the rack moved by until Jo's dresses appeared.

Jo pulled out the black dress she reserved for funerals and blew out a breath; today was a hard day for everyone. Today was the day that the memorial was to be unveiled for those lost on the Astreus Crew and they would be considered legally dead—the Senator's decision hit the entire town like a physical blow as they had bravely tried to hold on to the hope that they were still alive wherever they were. Their location was the one thing that Beverly had never given up, despite all their and the U.S. Governments –conventional and unconventional—means of persuasion.

"Thanks, S.A.R.A.H," Jo said and placed a hand on the wall, hoping that it might give the A.I. some comfort, knowing that she mourning like the rest of them.

Jo quickly dressed quickly, slipped on a pair of sensible heels, and headed to the door.

"Jo?" S.A.R.A.H's voice was soft and caused her to pause in the doorway.

"Yeah?"

"Will you hug Andy for me at the service?" If the AI had a face, had eyes, Jo was certain that she would be crying.

"Of course,"

"Thank you, Jo." S.A.R.A.H said and fell quiet.

Tears filled Jo's eyes and she quickly brushed them away; she needed to be strong for Jack and for Kevin and Jenna—despite Jenna being too young to understand everything that had happened. Jo moved downstairs where Jack, Kevin, and Jenna were waiting for her and they were out the door.

Almost the entire town was already gathered on Main Street by the time Jack pulled the jeep into its parking spot in front of the police station. Jo got out of the passenger seat and moved around to the backseat. She unhooked Jenna from her car seat and pulled her up into her arms, cuddling her a little closer than normal as the reality of the situation began to sink in. Jack and Kevin moved around the driver side of the vehicle to stand beside her. Jack clapped a hand around Kevin's shoulder then pulled him close in a half hug, which Kevin accepted for a minute before he pulled away.

They made their way down the street to join the crowd. Zoe, who had been standing on the fringe saw her father and Jo and made her way to them, pulling Lucas with her. Jack barely had enough time to open his arms before his daughter flew into them.

"Hey, sweetie," He murmured as he placed a kiss against the top of her head.

When they parted, Zoe threw her arms around Kevin's neck and hugged him tight while Jack shook Lucas's hand. Jack was glad that Zoe and Lucas had worked things out; he had to admit, he liked the kid. Zoe disengaged herself from Kevin and moved on to hug Jo, who hugged the girl back fiercely with her free arm; that was another relationship that Jack was thankful to see back to normal. Zoe had even taken the news of his and Jo's relationship with surprising ease; she actually encouraged them citing she was glad that her Dad had Jo.

Jack watched as Jo handed Jenna to Zoe before making her way through the crowd, where he lost her in the sea of people. While his eyes scanned the throng of townspeople, Henry emerged from its depth and made his way over to them. After everyone exchanged hugs and greetings, Henry stood beside Jack, his gaze on the sheet where the statue of Pythagoras once stood; the statue had been relocated to the park so the memorial statue could be in a central location. An older woman approached the group and Kevin went to her with a quiet greeting of "Hello, Grandma," and a tight hug.

Jack greeted Allison's mother, Sally, with a hug and a sad smile; they had gotten close since the Astreus Incident and talked frequently now that he was taking care of Kevin and Jenna. Jo wove her way through the crowd and back to Jack as Senator Wen moved up on to the small platform that served at a stage and stood in front of the podium. Henry moved to the side, giving her room to stand beside Jack, and Zoe handed her Jenna, who reached out for Jo as she rejoined them.

The Senator's speech was short and bittersweet before she unveiled the statue, glossing over the fine detail that the crew would be considered legally dead after today.

The statue was beautiful. It stood at seven feet tall and was a replica of the Astreus shuttle, casted out of titanium. An inscription was written on its surface, bearing the words: **In honor of those we have lost, they will never be forgotten** on its side. A holographic video played of each of the crew members and sobs began to rise up from the crowd as each went by.

Jo was startled out of her reverie when Jenna suddenly reached up and touched her cheek. She looked down at the girl, who was studying the tear drops she had collected on her fingertips, her little brows furrowed in concentration. She then looked back up at Jo, her expression concerned and ridiculously serious for a child her age— proving just how much she was Nathan and Allison's daughter.

Jo pressed a small kiss to her chubby cheek and murmured softly, words tumbling out unconsciously in Spanish. They were words of comfort despite the fact that _she_ was the one who was crying. Jack's arm slipped around her waist and pulled her close, burying his face in her hair as he attempted to bring her some sort of comfort.

After the ceremony was over, the group took up shop in – the newly rebuilt-Café Diem, occupying the large couches in front of the indoor fire pit. Vincent came by with a tray of assorted drinks. Jack selected a whiskey and passed Jo a glass of wine while Henry, Zoe, Sally, Lucas, and Kevin picked their drinks.

The sheriff looked down into his glass of amber liquid before holding it up to the flames. "To Allison," He said

"To Zane," Jo held up her glass

"To Fargo," Zoe followed suit

"To Grace," Henry added, his voice thick with emotion

"To the rest of the crew," Lucas reflected

"They may be gone, but they will live on in our hearts and in our memories." Jack concluded, saluting with his glass.

"Amen," Henry murmured and they all lifted their glasses in honor of the Astreus Crew.


	3. Beside You

Title: They Came Home [Chapter 3/?]

Chapter Title: Beside You

Fandom: Eureka

Pairing: Jack/Jo,

Rating: T

Timeline: (1 ½ Years Later) Post Season 4 (Spoilers up through "…One Giant Leap"), AU Season 5, Post my story: "To The Victors" (1 Year Later), Post my story: "In Memoriam" (6 Months Later)

Author's Note: This was inspired by the promo for next season and by my own prompt from the Jack and Jo Comment Fic Meme. This is unbeta-ed, please forgive any mistakes. Enjoy!

Author's Second Note: This was written for It_sp who requested Jack/Jo to "Beside You" by Marianas Trench

Disclaimer: Eureka does not belong to me in any way…if I did, it sure as hell wouldn't be ending! Also, the song lyrics belong to Marianas Trench, not me.

Story Summary: Those who were on the Astreus Mission have been missing for over a year without a trace. After the painful decision is made to declare them dead, those left behind pick up the pieces and begin to move on. Jack and Jo fall in love, get married, and are happily expecting their first child...Then the Astreus shuttle finds its way back to Earth...

Chapter Summary: Jack and Jo celebrate their first anniversary in typical Eureka fashion; trying to save the town from imminent danger.

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><p>They had never defined their relationship in terms of boyfriend, girlfriend; dating; friends with benefits; none of those titles quite fit what they were to each other. After everything that had happened, they both knew that titles were unnecessary in their situation. They loved each other, they shared a bed, and they were raising Kevin and Jenna while protecting their town from outsiders and itself.<p>

As they worked on evacuating GD from its latest experiment gone wrong, Jo ran off to Section Three-where the experiment of trying to build a sonic screwdriver had gone horribly, horribly wrong- with instructions from Henry how to stop it. Jack found himself struck with a thought; what if she didn't come back; what if he lost her this time?

Pain, almost as sharp as a physical blow, raced through his chest and turned his stomach at the thought. He then scolded himself; now was not the time to be thinking like that, he still had a town to save. As much as he tried to push those thoughts away, they lingered in the back of his mind as he ushered the crowd out of the danger zone and to a safe harbor.

Jack ended up at Café Diem with the evacuated GD employees. Henry watched him as he paced the floor, waiting for any sign of Jo. It had been a half hour and every minute felt like a lifetime. The small box that he had been carrying around in his pants pocket for the last two weeks felt heavier with each lap. A sudden movement outside of the café caught his eye and his heart leapt in his chest as his gaze fell on Jo. He was out the door and had her in his arms in an instant; his lips crashing down to meet hers in a searing kiss.

The need for oxygen and the sudden sound of cheering and whistling from the crowd at Café Diem caused them to break their kiss. They hadn't kept their relationship a secret—it was hard keeping a secret inside a town of geniuses and everyone had figured it out after the first month- but they kept their PDA to a minimum outside of S.A.R.A.H and apparently the town was in support of their relationship as the catcalls erupted. Jack laughed and hugged her tightly before letting her go.

"Alright, alright, quit your cheering and get back to work," Jo said with a roll of her eyes, "get moving, people."

The crowd disbursed with good natured laughing. Jack smiled down at her when they were mostly alone.

"Let's go home." He said.

"There's still paperwork to do, you realize that?"

"I don't care."

The sound of Henry clearing his throat caught their attention. "As the head of GD, I give you the rest of the day off," He said with a grin, "I'll take care of the paperwork."

Jo smiled. "Thanks, Henry. And tell Larry that if he tries anything like that again I will kill him."

"I'll pass it along." He assured her.

"Thanks, Henry," Jack called over his shoulder as he led Jo down the street to his jeep.

The Sheriff and the Director of GD Security returned home with an open door and a warm greeting from S.A.R.A.H. The house was quiet; it was Friday and Jenna and Kevin were at their Grandmother's house. Since Jack gained guardianship, he and Allison's mother had worked out an agreement that the kids would get to spend the weekends with her. Despite this arrangement having been going on for almost two years, when the kids were gone, the house seemed almost too quiet.

"S.A.R.A.H? A little music please?" Jo asked as she unbuttoned her suit jacket and draped it over the back of the couch.

"Sure thing, Jo," The A.I. responded, "Any mix in particular?"

"You can choose," she answered while toeing off her heels.

Soft guitar music filtered through S.A.R.A.H's numerous speakers and Jo recognized the beat instantly; it was a favorite of hers. A smile turned up the corners of her mouth when she felt Jack's presence behind her and his arms slid around her waist. Her eyes drifted shut when his lips found the curve of her neck. She felt him breathe in deep, his chest expanding against her back, and relaxed against him as she lost herself in the song.

_When you're overwhelmed and you've lost your breath_

_And the space between the things you know is blurring nonetheless_

_When you try to speak_

_But you make no sound_

_And the words you want are just out of reach_

_But they've never been so loud_

_And if your heart wears thin_

_I will hold you up_

_And I will hide you_

_When it gets too much_

_I'll be right beside you; I'll be right beside you_

"Jo?" Jack's voice was low and she could feel his chest rumbling as he said her name.

"Yeah?"

"Marry me."

She turned in his arms, her dark eyes meeting with his, her eyebrows arched in surprise. "What?"

A small smile crossed his lips indulgently; he knew she had heard him perfectly. "Marry me, Josefina."

"Jack…" Tears bit at the corners of her eyes and filled her dark orbs.

He wiped away her tears with his thumb as they fell from her eyes. "Hey now," He said softly, his tone gentle, "none of that." Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out that small box.

Before he could open it, Jo put a hand on his wrist to stop him. His eyes flew up to hers; worried that he would find a "no" written across her features. Instead he found her smiling, her eyes glittering with unshed tears.

"Yes," she said, nodding, "I will."

Jack let out a whoop of joy, bundled her into his arms, and brought his lips to hers in a thorough, fierce kiss. She kissed him back with just as much passion and broke the kiss with a little squeak as he gathered her up into his arms and carried her up the stairs to their bedroom.

The wedding was two months later and the entire town celebrated with them. The reception took place in the middle of Main Street to accommodate the large amount of guests. A large, glittering chandelier hung in the middle of the street. The concreted had been covered by shining hard wood for the night and tables were lined along the sidewalk. While music played through strategically placed speakers along the long stretch of road, Jo and Jack moved along through the crowd to the center of the converted floor to share their first dance.

At her table beside Lucas and Kevin, Zoe let out an enthusiastic cheer that made Jack laugh as he pulled Jo to him, his arms slipping around her waist while hers came encircled his neck. Her dark eyes were warm as she looked up at him and he found himself struck by just how lucky he was to now be able to call her his wife. _Beside You_ started up and they began to move to the beat, slowly swaying back and forth in time with song.

"I don't know if I told you this, Mrs. Lupo-Carter, but you look absolutely stunning." He said with a grin.

She chuckled. "Only about a million times today,"

"Well, I'll say it a million and one," he declared

Jo laughed and tilted her head up, brushing a kiss to his lips as the music swelled and the song came to an end; _And if your heart wears thin, I will hold you up, And I will hide you when it gets too much, I'll be right beside you, nobody will break you._


End file.
